Three Choirs Festival

It’s Gloucestershire’s turn to host the Three Choirs Festival once again, as the choirs of Gloucester, Hereford and Worcester join together for the 2010 spectacular.

The year 2010 marks the 210th annual meeting of the Gloucester, Hereford and Worcester choirs, who will be performing together for the Three Choirs Festival 2010 in what promises to be a cultural summer highlight for Gloucestershire.

Thought to be one of the oldest music festivals in the world, dating back to at least 1715, The Three Choirs Festival is a week-long event of choral and orchestral concerts, with a daytime programme of chamber music, organ recitals, talks, theatre performances and exhibitions.

Thousands of people from all walks of life are said to attend the festival every year, with the 2010 event set to be no exception. In addition to the Festival Chorus, the backbone of the event, the renowned Philharmonia Orchestra will be welcomed back as the orchestra in attendance for the festival week.

The 2010 event will also be the first to be planned by new artistic director, Adrian Partington, who is setting out to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the birth of Magler and the bicentenary of the birth of Schumann – with the festival opening to Partington’s favourite work by Elgar, ‘The Kingdom’.

In Three Choirs Festival tradition an important work has been commissioned by one of the leading composers of the past 50 years, while in the festival’s spirit the work of the best English composers will be performed. Gloucester’s very own Ivor Gurney will be celebrated along with the bicentenary of Gloucester Cathedral organist S.S.Wesley, with the 2010 event also seeing the birth of young singers choir the Three Choirs Festival Youth Choir.

Performances will occur in Gloucester Cathedral at venues across the county, with the King’s Singers, Dante Quartet, ESO Chamber Orchestra, Corelli Ensemble, Trio Severn, St Cecilia Singers and Orlando Consort all being on the bill.

With 2013 being the next time Gloucestershire will play host to this historic musical spectacular, don’t delay in booking tickets for the Three Choirs Festival’s 72 anticipated events before it’s too late.